A REVAMPED Ashley Giles turned around the opening day of England's Test series in Sri Lanka but warned against a false sense of security.

The left-arm spinner finished with figures of 10-4-13-3 to signal a change in personal fortunes as the hosts closed on 138 for four.

Having endured a summer which resulted in just nine Test wickets at a cost of 63 runs apiece, Giles went through a crisis of confidence and remodelled his action in an attempt to get closer to the stumps in delivery stride - and it seems to have paid off, judged on his performance yesterday.

Although he was given little opportunity in Bangladesh recently, he is sure to play a vital role here, given the threat of spin on the island and his part in the 2-1 win on the last tour, when a return of four for 11 in Colombo set up the clinching victory.

And Giles began where he left off after England suffered a double blow on the eve of the three-match series.

Nasser Hussain pulled out an hour before the delayed 11am start through illness and captain Michael Vaughan lost the toss at a ground which usually provides accentuated turn late in the contest and where the tourists lost by an innings in 2001.

After dismissing Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene and Hashan Tillekeratne, Giles said, "I think we have come out the first day very well but let us not kid ourselves, it is the first day of 15 very hard days of cricket. It was the first battle in the war.

"After our last experience here we were all hoping to win the toss this time around, but this bunch of guys just get up and get on with it, we have got a lot of fight and character which cannot be emphasised enough.

"They have the best of the wicket and it is a good sign that we have them where they are - but come days three and four it is going to turn quite a lot."

That is when Muttiah Muralitharan, who has bagged an incredible 48 wickets in his last five Tests in Galle, is likely to come to prominence.

Giles grew in confidence after relieving off-spinner Gareth Batty and produced the initial breakthrough when Jayasuriya squeezed the ball to short-leg off a thick inside edge.

"I am getting my mind back on bowling, where I am bowling and tactics to different batters rather than worrying about where my feet are landing and where my arms are," added Giles. "That course against this quality of opposition on their home turf is vital.

"I need to produce this day-in, day-out for the rest of the series, their batsmen are very good in their own conditions and it is up to people like me and Batts to try and winkle them out."

Giles' second dismissal appeared to owe a lot to Jayawardene being distracted by a hot air balloon, advertising the Sri Lankan team sponsors, protruding from behind the sightscreen.

Jayawardene spent some time advising umpire Daryl Harper about his concerns before inside-edging the next delivery onto his pad and into the hands of Paul Collingwood at silly-point.

"I had no idea what was going on, I was concentrating on what was going on down the other end, I saw him look up and he appeared quite startled when he was out and I didn't know whether he was upset with the decision or something else," Giles said.

"But I will stick to the balloon end if I can!"

That was the second of Collingwood's catches around the bat - the first the other side of a two-hour stoppage for rain - having been called up when Hussain complained of flu and aching limbs.

That broke a run of 40 straight away Test appearances stretching back to his international recall in 1996 for the former England captain, who credits the 2-1 win here three winters ago as his best as leader.

Collingwood was a surprise choice as one of eight players to receive annual England and Wales Cricket Board central contracts at the end of the domestic season and has clearly been viewed as a potential successor to Hussain, 35, in the middle-order.

He was included in a Test party for the first time this winter and despite conceding his chances were limited said, "I have been preparing mentally as if I was going to be playing all the time and that is all you can do, keep improving your game so you can take that opportunity when it comes along.

"Things can always change, through injuries or someone going through a poor run of form and you just have to make sure you are ready.

"It helped knowing that the ECB have a lot of faith in me and that central contract has driven me rather than to be content to sit back with what I have got.

"It makes you feel comfortable knowing that you are there or thereabouts and I have been determined to push as hard as possible since I got it to achieve the goal of Test cricket."

His extra practice against spin in the nets will be tested fully given Sri Lanka's dominance at a ground as imposing to opponents as the 16th century Dutch fort which provides the scenic backdrop.

They have won six and lost only one of the eight matches here since its inception as a Test venue in 1998, relying on their spinners to suffocate the visiting batsmen on a slow, low surface.

"We are disappointed but then again we played some ordinary shots and there are no excuses for that," said captain Tillekeratne. "We must re-group and score in excess of 300 because we can defend that as it will spin later on."